holidays

Countdown till Christmas – 4 days to go!

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I decided today I was going to do something in an effort to help the homeless. I didn’t want to just go out and find someone to hand money to though. So I searched online for a way to help a shelter in my area.

And I found the Beacon Light Mission. It’s been around since 1902 and started as a place for soldiers to rest. After WWII, demand was great and they grew in size and became a fully functioning shelter for men. It moved locations again in the 1970s and has gone through changes over the years but still remains a shelter for homeless men. And in 2011, a twenty-bed Women’s shelter was added on.

After researching both shelters, I learned each has a wish-list on Amazon for things they need so I hopped on over to the site, using Amazon Smile (my choice of charity is UNICEF), and I ordered a bunch of underwear for the shelters to give to those who stay there. The address was in the system, allowing the packages to be sent directly to the shelters. And they’ll get there just in time for Christmas!

It’s amazing how one can find a vast array of ways to help others if they just simply look. It isn’t enough to post a meme on your Facebook page or say out loud that you’re against something. It takes action.

Be the change you want to see in the world.
– Ghandi

#countdowntochristmas

Countdown till Christmas – 5 days to go!

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Five days till Christmas! It’s about 75* degrees right now in Los Angeles, so it’s a bit difficult to feel the seasons change but I do live vicariously through east-coasters as I just heard my hometown of Buffalo has received eight inches of snow! (I may be more happy about that than they are though….)

I remember growing up there and my mom needing to scrape the ice that built on the car simply while we were shopping. Brrrrr……! But I digress….

Thinking of the season changes led me to thinking about Buffalo which led to me to thinking about my grandparents. I’m fortunate to have three of them still with me, two in their nineties and one close to it. I grew up knowing them well and I’ll forever be grateful that both sides chose to leave Sicily in the 1950s to come to America to give their children a better life.

As a first generation Italian American (Sicilian to be specific), I take pride in where I’m from and realize that America is a melting pot of immigrants from all over, which to me is a beautiful thing. There is a reason so many people want to be here and I do not take for granted for one day the freedom I have because of those before me who fought for it.

Today, in the spirit of love and being helpful, I decided to write hand-written letters to my grandparents in their native Italian language, which I am rusty at and would be nowhere without my Italian/American dictionary.

I know it’s a small thing but it’s the small things that make up the moments of our life and if I can put a smile I my grandparent’s face, then that’s a moment I want to create.

During this holiday season, why not make sure to take time to appreciate those in your life who helped shaped your family for the better? Send them a card. Give them a call. Tell them you love them. And make them smile.

#countdowntochristmas

Countdown till Christmas – 6 days to go!

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As I was thinking about my countdown today, I wanted to come up with something that I could personally offer to another person. I found many sites asking for cash donations but I didn’t want to just throw money at a problem. Not to say donating money is bad, it’s absolutely not, (though I do find it best to vet a charity organization before you give any money…)

So, I thought – what do I have to offer that could help another person…. Hm…..

Then today at work, someone asked me if I’m still reading scripts. For those new to my blog, I’ve worked as a professional script analyst for the past decade and though I’m trying to maneuver my way into writing rather than reading, this is something I get asked about quite often.

And this led me to deciding to offer my reading skills to someone who has a script they want read.

My offer is this – I will do FREE coverage for one script from someone who either comments on my Facebook post about this or for readers of my blog, comments below. I will be selecting one tomorrow at noon….

#countdowntochristmas

 

Countdown till Christmas – 7 days to go!

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Today was all about the kids. Each week, I make time to see my young nephews. I’ve been a part of their weekly life since each was born and they are two little dudes who can ALWAYS put a smile on my face no matter what life is throwing at me. They can also bring me straight down to earth when life decides to throw me some good attention as well.

As we were playing Pokemon and hide ‘n seek today and talking about Christmas, I started thinking about all the children out there who will not have presents under a tree for them on Christmas morning and my heart began to hurt.

So for today, I decided to look up ways to help children in an effort to make their Christmas a little more merrier. I learned that Toys for Tots spends less than 3% on fundraising and overhead, meaning 97% of donations go to the kids. That made me very happy as most charity organizations are run like a business and those they say they serve end up getting a small little portion of what the company takes it. That’s not charity in my mind. I understand it does take people, time and resources to run one, but I want to see numbers like those above for Toys For Tots before I take out my wallet.

That said, after looking at Make a Wish Foundation, I decided Toys for Tots would be the charity I give to this year. It’s run by the marine corp, who take donated wrapped gifts and bring them to children in need. A local hotel is a drop off center and it’s close to me. I just found three gifts I’ve gotten along the way that I planned to give to my nephews but have now decided to give to Toys for Tots so perhaps they can brighten a child’s day on Christmas.

To find a drop off spot near you, please visit Toys for Tots.

Also, I’d like to share something I’ve been doing in hopes others may want to participate as well. I’m an avid Amazon shopper, and after learning I could help a charity while I shop, I quickly signed up. No brainer, right? Check Amazon Smile to sign up too! I chose UNICEF, a UN program to help children, but there are other charities you can pick as well.

Happy Holidays! One more week…..

 

 

 

Countdown till Christmas – 8 days to go!

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It’s interesting. I was supposed to do something today to help others but the reality is someone helped me and I thought, well… I’m going to write about that because it was just what I needed and it’s in the spirit of helpfulness and that’s exactly what this whole blog project is about….

It’s interesting the way the world works. And when the universe has a plan, I heed it.

A friend of mine reminded me today that there is positivity all around us and personal growth is one of the best things we can do for ourselves. This was the exact message I needed. I was feeling sorry for myself because my plans did not go as I had wanted. And as I was about to wallow in self pity, a friend of mine in so many words said, “hey, living and growing is a damn good day.” With that on my mind, I started to change my tune…

But wait, first –  what does that even mean – Personal growth? It sounds like a tag line at the end of a weight loss commercial, right? Or maybe a line for a radio jingle?

In all seriousness though, when I took a moment to stop and think about personal growth, I realized that growing is really the only option, because otherwise I’d be dying… (or stagnant at the very best…)

Bob Dylan once said (or sung, I’m not entirely sure), “He not busy being born is being dying.”

Have truer words been said/sung? As I thought about this, I begin to understand what Dylan meant. If we don’t grow, we wither.

Well…… Screw that.

I’m not gonna wither.

Think about it… Even if you mess up (no matter how bad), if you learn and grow, then you’re living!

Thank you, Chris. And thank you, Universe. I needed this message.

Though today did not turn out as I had expected… life swirled around me and bashed my plans to a pulp, and loved ones were still in my life and put a smile on my face and made me remember something Abraham Lincoln once said:

“Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

Life will continually throw us lemons. Perhaps not as “bad” as those in Lincoln’s day, but lemons nonetheless.

As my friend reminded me today though, there’s no reason not to take those lemons and turn them into fancy little tarts that put a smile on everyone’s face….

Eight days till Christmas…. oh my! what will we learn till then?!

Countdown till Christmas – 9 days to go!

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After remembering I had recently learned that space shuttles and space stations are powered by solar energy, I decided it was time to learn more about this, not only for myself but for future generations so a planet can be left for them to be a part of and enjoy. I see my nephews loving nature right now and I only hope it will be preserved for their children and so on.

Many people, including myself, can get very confused about the global energy situation. Each story tells something different and it’s difficult to find straight answers to one’s questions. It’s even more difficult to decipher whom to trust.

So today I went on a mission to learn about energy sources in an effort to offer my readers some quality material to research and peruse, as well as some food for thought.

I wondered how a space shuttle could be powered by the sun and yet our homes are not? Why are we so stressed about coal and oil for energy when we have nature’s magnificent energy source right around us?

I am of the philosophy that most answers lie in nature. That is my religion and basis of my spirituality. How I didn’t think about this before, I’m not sure, but I’m thinking about it now…

I learned Elon Musk’s company Solar City is one of the largest solar energy providers out there and it’s exciting to see the work he is doing.

I posted something on my Facebook page today in hopes of getting a quality discussion about this going and that’s fortunately what happened. (You know how these things can quickly go sour!) The vibe I got was that there is already a large infrastructure in place in the US so going solar would take a new way of thinking and a large upfront cost. With crony capitalism, this would very likely become corrupt and manipulated. A truly free market would be ideal to let this grow but is that a real possibility?  And perhaps that is the reason it hasn’t grown nearly as fast as it could have?

Well, at least Musk appears to be doing something – trying to use the marketplace to sell his products while also making use of the greatest source of energy, which is right around each and every one of us. Capitalism with a conscious, if you will.

If you have any knowledge on this subject matter, please comment below!

And thanks for reading! Tomorrow will be a little more lighthearted, I promise :)

Countdown till Christmas – 10 days to go!

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I’ll be straight with you right out of the gate. Christmas is not a religious time for me. I understand its roots lie in Christianity with the birth of Jesus Christ and I acknowledge that but for me, I choose to celebrate this time of year by spreading love and being with those who I care about.

And keeping in the spirit of helping others, I decided to write a ten-day countdown to Christmas where on each of the ten days I will attempt to learn something new in the name of giving, joy and love, all in an effort to be of help to others.

Today, I decided to catch up on politics and I noticed a bunch of stories about a “fake news” epidemic. After I wondered how this FINALLY got to be acknowledged, I researched more and began to see that it was all about the dissemination of fake news and not the actual fake news itself!

So, in an effort to help promote integrity in journalism, I would like to share a video of a reporter who is reporting on Aleppo and is actually there and witnessing what is occurring. With the vast amount of dishonesty in journalism, it is getting increasingly more difficult to find honest news and we desperately need it. Aleppo is getting chewed up by the news media and my search for trustworthy news about it was quite difficult… But I found one and would like to pass it along in an effort to help others search for honest news among the sea of deception that is out there…

 

You may have been born in 1977 if…

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any of the following rings a bell, applies to you and/or you can relate:

  1. VHS was a very real thing to you and you may have even created a mix of films taped directly off the television or HBO if you were lucky. 6 hours baby. That’s three movies.
  2. Landlines was not a word. We had phones with cords, long ones for mobility. And some of us even had beepers. (FYI I was not one of them.)
  3. “TGIF” was cool.
  4. “Beverly Hills, 90210” was the real deal. Remember when Brenda took a pregnancy test?! I nearly lost sleep…
  5. A foam rectangle called The Step was neon and popular as hell.
  6. Speaking of neon, 25% of your wardrobe was in that color scheme.
  7. You remember the numbers on McDonalds “Burgers Sold” climbing to a billion….
  8. Smoking sections existed. And they were everywhere.
  9. You dreamed of Kirk Cameron taking you to prom. Or maybe Alyssa Milano?
  10. The Internet came about somewhat quick, at least it seemed that way since you were busy finishing high school and trying to make sense of what the hell to do next.
  11. You never got a trophy for being adequate. But then again, you never really cared about trophies to begin with.

25 Days of Spreading Love: Reflections

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Thank you to all who read my posts and followed along as I counted down the days until Christmas while trying to spread love in the world. (The original blog post can be found here.)

I feel very fortunate to have love in my life and I want to make more of an effort to share that. And this project has helped me to do that.

Over the course of twenty five days (well, the twenty-fifth day was Christmas!) I found ways to spread love and by doing that, it became part of my day. Once the project stopped, I didn’t make such a conscious effort any longer, though it was something that had seeped into my brain and made me think of it daily and for me, that was something I was hoping it would do. Repetition… There is something to be said about the simplicity of its effectiveness.

I also learned a few other things that I thought I’d share with my readers…

Saturdays are a popular day to read blogs (at least mine…)

Love is a universal message.

Self-discipline makes things happen.

I can actually write everyday.

Never judge anything on appearance alone.

Love is your engine. It moves you. It stops you. It propels you to new heights. It sinks you to great depths. It gives you momentum to go on.

I can make a difference.

Thank you to all who supported this project and myself. I hope you consider joining me this coming week as I launch a new project… Stay tuned!!

25 Days of Spreading Love – A countdown to Christmas: Dec. 24

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For the original idea, please go here.

1 Day till Christmas – spreading love by being with my family

In honor of the holiday this entire blog project has been written around, I chose to spread the love today but spending time with my family on Christmas Eve.

Thank you for coming along for the ride with me as I counted down the days till Christmas by spreading love in the world.

From my house to yours, Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!